After pump, one of my good friends from the gym approached me wondering if I wanted to race the Top of Utah Marathon that upcoming Saturday. She had hurt her knee and could no longer race.

Um, free race. Heck, yes.

I called the race director and he said it was fine to transfer her bib.

I knew that I had done a lot that week and I hadn’t mentally prepared for the race so I told myself I was just going to take it easy and have fun.

The best part of the whole thing was that I didn’t even have time for Pre-Race Anxiety.

Friday night we drove up to Logan. On the way there we stopped at Fazoli’s for breadsticks and spaghetti. I also had two brownies later that night.

We stayed with our good friends and didn’t go to sleep until 2 a.m. Once again, I didn’t care about going to bed late because I was just doing the race for fun.

We woke up 3 hours later. I stole some of my friends food (pb toast and granola bars), put on my mismatching outfit and Billy dropped me off at the buses.

*I also take beta alenine before a race, it helps prevent lactic acid build-up, which is what fatigues muscles. Try it if you are an endurance runner, it is awesome.

Billy surprised me with a new ipod shuffle because he knew how sick of lugging my iphone around I was…… He engraved ‘Pain is Temporary’ on the back.

It was about 30 degrees at the starting line. The race began at the top of the most beautiful canyon I have ever seen. I didn’t have to use the porta potties, I was in a great mood and they had a huge heated tent at the starting line. About five minutes before 7 I headed towards the front of the line and talked with some of the girls around me.

The gun went off and I started out at about a 7-minute mile. I felt good and told myself to go faster. I paced myself with a speedy guy which was really helpful, although he probably found me kind of creepy.

If you read my lessons post you know I had an aha moment in the first half of the race. I transformed my whole way of thinking, I became my own BFF and I enjoyed every second. I will spare you the cheesy dialogue I had with myself.

I saw Billy at mile 13, 18, 23 and the end….spectators weren’t allowed in the canyon. Seriously, it was the most gorgeous scenery I have ever seen.

I wish I had all of my stats for you but all I remember is my 1/2 was 1:28 and I finished in 3:04:45.

Not negative splits but considering the second half was all flat and uphill, I am okay with that.

I finished and ate a Fatboy ice cream bar, a doughnut and two chocolate milks. I was hungry but what’s new.

I won a little mula and an awesome elk/moose trophy. Only in Utah people. At least it wasn’t a seagull or a covered wagon.

Are you hungry after a race?

-Usually I am not able to stomach anything for a few hours but my last race and the last few long runs before that I came home so hungry. I like that feeling because it is so important to refuel your body……I guess ice cream and doughnuts aren’t exactly the best refuel but I think a marathon warrants some white sugar.

Is your significant other or family supportive of your races?

-Billy is the bomb.com. Pretty sure his job is harder than actually running the race because he has to find where to park, wake up just as early as me, take pictures, know when and where to be, and he must be prepared to handle an emotional beast if my race doesn’t go well.

56 comments

Matt

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail

You can flat-out fly! How did you not run in HS or college?!!! Wow! A sub 3 hour marathon is only in my dreams. And, I agree–race supporters have a very difficult time!

After my first and only marathon thus far, I wasn't hungry for several hours…after some of the long training runs, I craved a protein/carb combo. Usually made a turkey & mozz on wheat tortilla wrap and planted my bum on the couch!

middleagedrunner

You really are fast… And shockingly cavalier about running 300 miles (or 26, whatev.)You are my hero. And I'm also now a bit scared of you….I'm sure that after running a marathon the only thing I'd want to do is throw up. So good for you, wating a buncha stuff. BLECH.

J

the dawn

awesome race report! i can't believe that you a) found out about it mere days before you ran, b) didn't taper, c) didn't sleep and just ran for fun….all the while kicking butt and taking names!!! now, with coaching and the support of a team you are going to make a place in the running world. you and billy are totally the next ryan and sara :)

i saw someone say that you didn't run in high school? seriously? i've been assuming that you were an epic track star with the numbers that you can throw down. how did you get started running?

Keri

Yes! Loved reading this! Can't wait until you can race again so you can write more and teach me all your tricks. I am definitely going to try the beta alenine…I have never heard of that before. Love that you ran your best race and it wasn't even planned.

The sports doc I saw yesterday didn't think training for Boston will be a problem at all. He asked if I had any races coming up and I said there was one I wanted to do in 2 weeks that obviously wasn't going to happen but he told me to come back if I wasn't improving in 2 weeks.

Where exactly does your knee hurt? Mine is the left knee on the inside under the knee cap but he was saying a lot of times he sees runners knee above the kneecap…He was also telling me all these other things it could be…

giraffy

My H is supportive, but I don't think he really "gets" it – he's a natural athlete, and it's never, ever really hard for him, so it's tough, I think, for him to grasp that my 3 miles are really tough. He means well, though.

fitchocoholic

That race sounds like fuuuun!! Especially because it was free =D! Hope your knee heals soon!P.S. thanks for the reminder about the homework….I was trying to forget about it and blame it on temporary amnesia tomorrow…=P

Jacqueline

Val

Have I told you lately that I LOVE your blog!!!!! :) Love your re-cap! I felt like I was there :)

My fiance is my biggerst supporter, He wakes up early to drive me to races, pays for my races, buys me eveything I need and trys to be a perfect photographer all while standing around waiting to see my pass by, and only sees me for 1.5 seconds :)

Jenn

I always make a million plans to reward myself with all this awesome food after a race but I'm never hungry. I usually have to force something down and maybe a few hours later eat something. Your last post made me think of Boston. We went to PF Changs the night of the race and I ordered the lettuce wraps!

Joe is a superfan. By far my biggest supporter! He always gives me a note that I'm supposed to read in the starting corral-sounds a little wierd but it means the world to me. He is also the most PATIENT man in the world as he will listen to me ramble about a race for WEEKS and I will only listen to him tell me about his hunting adventures for minutes (sometimes seconds).

lauravirginia

p.s. MUST invest in a shuffle. How sweet of Billy! I STILL have a scar from where I stuck my ipod in my sports bra. When I was about to get in the shower after I got home from the race I thought, "How on earth did I get a cut there?!" Rookie mistake!

ms. caboo

Bud is my wing man. He brings his bike and rides around the course (not on the course) and takes pictures for me. He's always waiting for me at the finish line, which is wonderful to see. When I ran my marathon, he carried my snacks and my sunglasses and met me at certain miles to help me out, and scouted out port-a-potties that still had TP in them and would stand in front of them until I arrived. Now that's love! And after much whining, he stopped and got me coffee on the way home.

dorrybird

ooohhhhh, reading your posts gives me butterflies and makes me even more excited for my race on Sunday! It's our first race EVER for both Billy and I so we're in for quite an experience. we've been training together and he's so supportive. our families are coming out to support us on Sunday – my brother in law is running the full marathon so it'll be quite the family affair. :)

ERG

All I can think about is: which president is on that bill in your hands? Haha!and..That's a great taper. So you just took Wed, Th, Fri off? perfect. :D

I just can't wait to see what you do in the new running club. Negative splits can be yours for the taking =D !!

Jon's coming around…actually he's the big behind the scenes supporter, watching the boys, while my dad is my fan club and paprazzi. Most of my church family came to my first marathon, too. I felt loved.

-Nellie and Jonathan

Zip Zip! You must have tied your shoes TIGHT that morning :) When I was a kid, I used to think tying my shoes tight made me F A S T!!

Love your shoes…what are they? You were running so fast, it was a blur in the picture!

One comment… Ok, I lied, this is like the third comment, right? Anyway, I noticed you're heel striking. Does that mean the Vibrams didn't work as far as getting you to change your form? I've done the barefoot thing a little (read: hardly at all) trying to fix my strike (because of knee issues). Lately I've felt great. Not sure what the barefooting changed, but it worked :)

Again…Zip Zip!

Nellie

runningcupcake

Thanks for the comment on my blog :)You are one super speedy runner, and the scenery during that race looks amazing. I normally do not feel hungry after a long run (which for me is 9 miles at the mo), but then if I dont eat soon, then later in the afternoon I get an energy crash and feel awful, so I try to remember to make myself eat! :)

mealsformiles

This is amazing – deciding to run a marathon a few days beforehand squashes all pre-race anxiety – genius!! And you were super fast – I love it!

I'm usually pretty nauseous after races, so it takes a while before I can get food down. Chocolate milk and/or gatorade does the trick in the meantime. My mom and sister have come to town for my larger races, and their support makes all the difference!!

Hope the knee is coming along and you have a great weekend :)

LindseyAnn

My boyfriend is super supportive of my running. Before the last semester of engineering school took over his soul, he would run with me at least once a week, and on my longer runs for my half-marathon training, he would bike along with me. He also gave me his iPod shuffle that he wasn't using so I could have music to listen to while I run. :)

Stephanie

I am NEVER hungry post-race, of any distance, I always feel nausous when I think about food, and it usually takes me a full 24 hours before I really feel hungry again, kind of sucky, because that should be 1 day where you can pretty much eat anything with no worries!

My boyfriend is the world's best supporter/spectator! He loves taking pictures and the logistics of it all, but I agree 100% that his job is harder than mine, but I love that he is so supportive and always wants to be there!

Mallory

What an excellent race! After long runs/races I am usually not hungry right away and actually tend to feel a bit nauseous. I am lucky to have an extremely supportive spouse who is also up at the crack of dawn on race days and is there for the start and finish of every race. I realize not everyone has that so I make sure to say "thank you" regularly! And how sweet about the iPod! I actually have the same pink shuffle!

LAPT

Jogging with Fiction

I'm never hungry after running. When I run in the mornings I pack breakfast to eat a couple hours later at work.

My husband supports my running because he's a runner too. Though he did tell me he doesn't want to be an observer at races anymore because he just gets frustrated and wishes he was running himself. Looks like I'm signing him up for my marathon :).

racing dawn

i was there at that race…it is definitely one of my fave utah races, (ogden is my #1).

my hubby is pretty great too. he's had announcers at finihs lines crack jokes over the mic cause he's wandering around with a gaggle of kids waiting for me to come through! :) nowadays, he usually waits for me to text him to just come pick me up…oh well.

seriously – you rock. you need to let us in on your speed secrets asap!

melissadishes

I am rarely hungry after running distance. After RNR SA I only ate 2 little things on the way back to the hotel. I shoveled a late lunch down at like 2 pm only because the food was staring at me and we were at one of my favorite places.

My family is really supportive. Mom used to go to all of my races, even when I only did 5ks. Mom and dad have been to 3 marathons, Dan to 4, and my sister ran 1 mile of 2 of them with me.For the halves and smaller races, it's a little different.

Dan sometimes gets tired of me refusing to go out on Friday nights, since I do my longs on Saturdays, but if it's something I REALLY want to do, i'll move my long to Friday or Sunday. This past season I took off of work twice on a Friday to run a long because of not wanting going out to interfere with my long ;-)

onehealthypeanut

I am ALWAYS ready to eat after a run! And sleep, I used to do all of my training runs at night, shower and be asleep within an hour or two! Way to go on your race, beautiful scenery makes all the difference in the world!

Haley

You are LEGIT :)I run in college and can't wait for half and full marathons. We're not allowed to do them now (Coach's orders) :/Buuut I seriously love your blog and your outlook on life. I read the post about keeping a positive attitude on Friday right before my 5k race that night and I had a huge PR! 16:40. I used your advice :) So thanks!You're a wonderful inspiration<3

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